Friday, February 27, 2015

Could Inherent Health Genetic Testing for Weightloss be the key for me?

I feel like there's another piece to the puzzle missing for me to break through this plateau that I've been in for MONTHS now. After reaching an all time low of 183 in June 2014, I've put on about 12 pounds since I started following the Eat to Perform nutrition plan in July, and have been stuck there ever since (except for a brief 6 pound loss during my 2-month strict Paleo Lurong Challenge in the fall, which all came back again). Although I've been getting stronger as evidenced by some PRs, I don't feel like my body composition is changing much anymore, despite following these rules a good 80% of the time for the last 2 months:
  • remain gluten- & dairy-free so I know I have intolerance issues with them
  • keep my carbs under 100g on rest days (more veggies than fruit) 
  • aim for around 200g -250g on WOD days (might be falling a little short here)
  • only have starchy carbs before/after WODs
  • eat 180g of protein/day to support my muscles
I definitely feel that every person's body reacts to food differently, and therefore, there's no one-size-fits-all that's ideal for everybody. Learning that I have intolerance to dairy, gluten, and some other foods through testing was a huge deal - having the concrete test results encouraged me to eliminate those foods, made me feel so much healthier, and helped me drop a lot of fat and water weight from inflammation. But after 18 months of avoiding those foods by eating primarily low carb Paleo, and doing CrossFit religiously, I feel like there's some other key thing I'm missing since I seem to have hit a wall. Does my body actually work better with more carbs? Have I been denying myself fruit, rice, and more sweet potatoes for nothing???

Then I saw an article about genetic testing that can help you figure out what type of nutrition and exercise program is more appropriate for you based on YOUR DNA. That makes a lot of sense to me since it's personalized to YOUR BODY! The article discussed the The Pathway Fit Test, which can only be administered by a doctor (but could be covered under insurance). 

Then I read a testimonial for a similar test by Inherent Health on a friend's Facebook health support group, and she feels that incorporating the test recommendations did enable her to make progress. I also found this woman's blog entry all about it, and she's gone on to lose like 80 pounds since following their advice. The Inherent Health test can be done at home. For $169, they'll send you a test kit which you mail back and then they provide your results and recommendations via mail and online, and it includes a phone consultation with a licensed, board-certified genetic professional to answer any questions.

In a nutshell, based on comparing your DNA to studies that were done with a group of pre-menopausal Caucasian women (that's me!), they will advise whether your body can metabolize fat best on a low-fat, low-carb, or balanced diet. They will also recommend the type of exercise program that will best metabolize fat - either low, med, or high intensity (if my report doesn't say high intensity for CrossFit, I'll cry!!!).

I decided to go with Inherent Health since I didn't feel like paying for doctor consultations, even though the doctor in the Pathway article is only 45 minutes from me and within my health network - that made it tempting since I did like her philosophy! I ordered the Inherent Health kit online on the afternoon of Tuesday, Feb 25th, and it was in my hands Friday morning. Here are some pics of the kit:

the kit
folder of info and test kit
brochure

drying!

After reading the brochure, watching the DVD (not terribly interesting), filling out my paperwork, registering my test online, and waiting the requisite 2 hours after my breakfast, I took the test. You just take the 2 little sterile brushes and rub each one around inside each cheek, then let them dry for 15 minutes before shipping them off and a pre-paid envelope. Results are supposed to come in 2-3 weeks.(an eternity!!!).

So, I'll provide an update with my results in 2-3 weeks!

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